Display device and method for manufacturing a display device

Abstract

A display device and display equipment that enable display according to the required specifications while keeping costs down. A method for manufacturing a device is provided. [Solution] The display device 10 has a highly light-transmitting section 31b that transmits light and a low light-transmitting section with low light transmittance. An exterior substrate 31 including 31a, and provided on the surface of the highly transparent portion 31b, from the highly transparent portion 31b The first coating layer 32 has low light transmittance, and the first coating layer 3 is provided on the surface of the highly light-transmitting portion 31b. A second coating layer 33 having a higher light transmittance than 2, and including the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33. A third coating layer 34 is provided on the surface of the exterior substrate 31 and has a lower light transmittance than the second coating layer 33. The third coating layer 34 is formed on the surface of the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33. The resulting thickness ta is configured to be thinner than the remaining thickness tb.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display device and a method for manufacturing the display device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a method of displaying information such as characters or patterns on the exterior panel of various products including electrical appliances has been adopted. In such products, nothing appears on the surface of the exterior panel when nothing is done, but there is a requirement for a specification that a display appears on the surface of the exterior panel in response to an operation such as turning on the power. Moreover, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of causing a light pattern to float on the surface of an exterior resin part of an automobile. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of displaying characters or the like on a decorative panel.

[0003]

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Regarding the above specifications, it can be realized by using software processing, but it is necessary to mount a liquid crystal panel or the like, which causes an inconvenience of increasing costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to suppress costs while ​​​​​​​The objective is to provide a display device that enables display according to product specifications and a method for manufacturing the display device. ru. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the first aspect of one or more embodiments, the surface that appears on the exterior panel of the product In a display device that performs a display, there is a highly transparent part that transmits light and a part that transmits light less than the highly transparent part. An exterior substrate including a low light-transmitting portion, and a high light-transmitting portion provided on the surface of the high light-transmitting portion, except for a certain area. A first coating layer with lower light transmittance than the translucent portion, and provided in a certain area on the surface of the highly translucent portion. Furthermore, a second coating layer having a higher light transmittance than the first coating layer, and including the first and second coating layers. It has a third coating layer provided on the surface of the exterior substrate, which has a lower light transmittance than the second coating layer. The third coating layer is formed flush with the surface of the exterior substrate, which includes the first and second coating layers. A display device is provided.

[0008] According to a second aspect of one or more embodiments, the surface of the exterior panel of the product is shown. In a method for manufacturing a display device that performs a demonstration, a highly transparent part that transmits light and a part that transmits light more than the highly transparent part For exterior substrates that include low-transparency areas, a first coating with a lower light transmittance than the high-transparency areas is applied. The layer is formed on the surface of the highly translucent area, excluding a portion of it, and the light transmittance is higher than that of the first coating layer. A high second coating layer is formed in a portion of the surface of the highly translucent area, and light is filtered more effectively than in the second coating layer. A third coating layer with low light transmittance is formed flush with the surface of the exterior substrate, including the first and second coating layers. A method for manufacturing a display device is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, by providing a required coating layer on the exterior base material, it is possible to distinguish between the range where light is transmitted and the range where light is not transmitted. As a result, while suppressing costs, it is possible to perform display according to the required specifications.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a main part of the display device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the display device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the display device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the display device. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the manufacturing process of the display device.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the display device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. This display device 10 is a device that performs display so that predetermined information appears on the surface of the exterior panel 30 of the product. The product is, for example, an electrical appliance, and has a size and portability such that it can be used when mounted on a wall. The product may be a product other than an electrical appliance, and may be an interior part or an exterior part of a vehicle. As the information displayed by the display device 10, although the characters "AB C" are shown in FIG. 1, it is not limited to this, and other characters, figures, symbols , patterns, or combinations thereof may be used.

[0012] The display device 10 is mainly composed of a light source 20 and an exterior panel 30.

[0013] The light source 20 is located on the back side of the exterior panel 30, for example, the product body 40 (Figure 1) (The part is not shown in the diagram.) The light source 20 is attached at a certain distance from the exterior panel 30. They are positioned with a slight gap between them, facing the back surface of the exterior panel 30.

[0014] The light source 20 is a device that irradiates light onto a required area of ​​the exterior panel 30. It comprises a light-emitting element 21, a diffuser plate 22, and a shielding plate 23.

[0015] The light-emitting element 21 is an element that emits light, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). be.

[0016] The diffuser plate 22 is positioned opposite the exterior panel 30. The diffuser plate 22 emits light The light emitted from element 21 is uniformly distributed and emitted in a planar manner.

[0017] The shielding plate 23 is a box-shaped structure with one end open, and houses the light-emitting element 21 and the diffuser plate 22. The shielding plate 23 surrounds the light-emitting element 21 and the diffuser plate 22, thus protecting the exterior panel. It regulates the diffusion of light into areas other than the 30 required regions.

[0018] The exterior panel 30 is a component that covers the front side of the product body 40 and constitutes the design surface of the product. The exterior panel 30 is designed to allow for maintenance work such as cleaning the main body 40 of the product. It is installed so that it can be opened and closed relative to 0.

[0019] The exterior panel 30 consists of an exterior substrate 31, a first coating layer 32, a second coating layer 33, and a third coating layer. It consists of 34 layers.

[0020] The exterior substrate 31 is the substrate for forming the exterior panel 30. The exterior substrate 31 has a low light transmittance portion 3 It consists of 1a and a highly transparent portion 31b. The low-transparency portion 31a and the highly transparent portion 31b are Each part of the exterior substrate 31 is formed, and when the exterior substrate 31 is viewed along the surface, it has low transparency. A region formed by the light-emitting part 31a and a region formed by the highly transparent light-emitting part 31b are distinguished. The low-transparency portion 31a and the high-transparency portion 31b are integrally formed by two-color molding using resin material. It is shaped.

[0021] The low light-transmitting portion 31a forms the main part of the exterior substrate 31 and is colored opaque or colorless opaque. It is constructed to be transparent. However, the low light-transmitting portion 31a transmits light more effectively than the high light-transmitting portion 31b. The excess rate should be low, and it is not limited to colored opaque or colorless opaque. However, the exterior panel 30 To suppress the transmission of unwanted light, the low light-transmitting portion 31a is either colored and opaque or colorless and opaque. It is preferable that the configuration does not transmit light, as shown in the example.

[0022] The highly translucent portion 31b is the portion of the outer substrate 31 that corresponds to the display range Rd (see Figure 1). It is being shaped. The display range Rd includes the letters "ABC" and their surroundings, which are the information to be displayed. It is set to do so. The highly transparent portion 31b is configured to be either colored transparent or colorless transparent. This is not limited to just any configuration that allows light to pass through.

[0023] The aforementioned light source 20 is designed to irradiate light toward the highly translucent portion 31b of the exterior panel 30. It is positioned to face the highly transparent portion 31b. One light source 20 may be provided, or multiple light sources 20 may be provided.

[0024] In this embodiment, one highly transparent section 31b is configured to include all the letters "ABC". However, it is done so that each of the letters "A", "B", and "C" is included. Three independent, highly transparent sections 31b may be provided.

[0025] The first coating layer 32 is provided on the surface of the highly transparent portion 31b. It is not provided over the entire surface of the light-emitting part 31b, but rather excludes a portion of its surface. It is located in this area. This part of the area corresponds to the shape of the letters "ABC". First color The coating layer 32 is configured to have a lower light transmittance than the highly light-transmitting portion 31b. For example, the first coating Layer 32 is formed with a colored paint such as gray.

[0026] The second coating layer 33 is provided on the surface of the highly transparent portion 31b. On the surface of the light-emitting portion 31b, there is a region where the first coating layer 32 is not provided. In other words, the second coating layer 33 forms a portion of the area described above, namely the shape of the letters "ABC". It is designed to be painted. The second coating layer 33 has a higher light transmittance than the first coating layer 32. It is composed of the following: For example, the second coating layer 33 is formed of a light-transmitting transparent urethane resin. Yes, they are.

[0027] The greater the difference in light transmittance between the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33, the more visible the exterior panel 30 will be. The contrast between the displayed letters "ABC" and the surrounding area becomes stronger. (First coating layer 3) The light transmittances of the second coating layer 33 can be determined considering the display configuration.

[0028] The third coating layer 34 is applied to the surface of the exterior substrate 31, which includes the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33. This third coating layer 34 is formed on the surface of the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33. The surface that is being treated and the remaining surface, that is, the surface formed on the surface of the low light-transmitting portion 31a, will be flush. It is constructed in such a way that the surface of the exterior panel 30 is formed into a uniform surface without any irregularities. The thickness ta of the third coating layer 34 in the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33 is low transparency. The thickness of the third coating layer 34 in the light portion 31a is thinner than the thickness tb of the third coating layer 34. The third coating layer 34 has a lower light transmittance than the second coating layer 33. The product is formed with a colored paint that corresponds to its appearance, such as milky white.

[0029] Furthermore, from the viewpoint of protecting the exterior panel 30, a coating layer is further provided on top of the third paint layer 34. You can leave it.

[0030] Next, the manufacturing method of the display device 10 will be explained with reference to Figures 3 to 6. First, as shown in Figure 3... As such, the exterior is integrally molded with a low-transparency section 31a and a high-transparency section 31b by two-color molding. Prepare the substrate 31. Then, prepare a colored material such as gray, which has a lower light transmittance than the highly transparent portion 31b. The paint is applied to the surface of the highly transparent portion 31b. This ensures that the entire surface of the highly transparent portion 31b is coated with the paint. A coating layer 32 is formed.

[0031] Next, as shown in Figure 4, the first coating layer 32 formed over the entire surface of the highly translucent portion 31b Of these, the first coating layer 32 in a portion of region 32a is removed. In some areas 32a, the highly translucent portion 31b is exposed. As described above, the first coating layer 32 The removed portion of region 32a corresponds to the shape of the letters "ABC".

[0032] As shown in Figure 5, a transparent urethane resin with a higher light transmittance than the first coating layer 32 is used. It is applied to the surface of the highly transparent portion 31b, which includes the coating layer 32. The applied transparent urethane resin is 1. It penetrates into areas where the coating layer 32 is not provided, thereby affecting the surface of the highly translucent portion 31b. A second coating layer 33 is formed. A transparent urethane resin is also applied to the surface of the first coating layer 32. Although it is present, its thickness is so minimal that it can be practically treated as non-existent.

[0033] Next, as shown in Figure 6, a colored layer such as milky white has a lower light transmittance than the second coating layer 33. The paint is applied to the surface of the exterior substrate 31, which includes the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33. As a result, the surface of the exterior substrate 31, including the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33, is coated with the third coating layer 34 is formed. In this case, the third coating layer 3 in the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer 33 The thickness ta of 4 is made to be greater than the thickness tb of the third coating layer 34 in the low light-transmitting portion 31a. Paint is applied to it. As a result, the third coating layer 34 is coated with paint to the first coating layer 32 and the second coating layer The surface formed on the surface of 33, and the remaining surface, i.e., the surface formed on the surface of the low light-transmitting portion 31a. The surfaces are finished so that they are flush with each other.

[0034] Once the exterior panel 30 is manufactured through the above process, this exterior panel 30 is then attached to the product body 4 It is attached to the product body 40 so as to cover the front side of 0. At this time, the product body 40 In this configuration, the light source 20 is positioned facing the highly translucent section 31b. A display device 10 integrated with the NEL 30 is manufactured.

[0035] According to the display device 10 of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the power of the product is turned on. Alternatively, by performing a predetermined display-on operation after turning on the product's power, the light source 20 It lights up. The light emitted from the light-emitting element 21 is homogenized by the diffuser plate 22 to form a planar light. It is emitted as such. Also, the light-emitting element 21 and the diffuser plate 22 are surrounded by a box-shaped shielding plate 23. As a result, the light emitted from the light source 20 is directed to the highly transparent portion 31b of the outer substrate 31. It is irradiated onto it.

[0036] Some of the light transmitted through the highly transparent portion 31b reaches the first coating layer 32. However, Most of that light cannot pass through the first coating layer 32. Even if the light is transmitted through the third coating layer 34, the third coating layer 34 is present on the other side. As a result, almost no light is emitted towards the front side of the exterior panel 30.

[0037] Furthermore, some of the light transmitted through the highly transparent portion 31b reaches the second coating layer 33, and much of that light reaches the second coating layer 33. The second coating layer 33 is transmitted. The third coating layer 34 has low light transmittance, so the second coating layer 33 is transmitted. Some of the transmitted light cannot pass through the third coating layer 34. Because the thickness ta is relatively thin, some of the light that passes through the second coating layer 33 passes through the third coating layer 34. This allows light to pass through the third coating layer 34 and be emitted to the front side of the exterior panel 30. It exists.

[0038] When light that has passed through the third coating layer 34 reaches the eyes of the user using the product, the user will perceive: The letters "ABC" appear to float on the product's exterior panel 30, making them visible. On the other hand, by turning off the product's power, or by keeping the product's power on and turning on the specified table By performing the indicator off operation, the light source 20 is turned off. Therefore, as described above, the exterior panel 30 Since no light is emitted to the front side, the user can see the letters "ABC". do not have.

[0039] Furthermore, the third coating layer 34 is a colored, milky white or similar colored layer with lower light transmittance than the second coating layer 33. It is formed by paint. Therefore, the user is concerned with the structure behind the third paint layer 34. Specifically, the structure consists of a second paint layer 33 that forms the letters "ABC", and a first paint layer that forms the surrounding area. The painted layer 32 cannot be seen. Therefore, when the light source 20 is turned off, the word "ABC" is not visible. This prevents the letters from becoming visible through the screen. In addition, the light source 20 is turned on. Sometimes, it gives the impression that the letters "ABC" suddenly appear on the surface of the exterior panel 30. This allows for a display with varying levels of intensity.

[0040] Thus, according to the display device 10 of this embodiment, if the light source 20 does not light up, the exterior panel Nothing appears on the surface of 30, but when the light source 20 is lit, a display appears on the surface of the exterior panel 30. This specification can be realized with a simple configuration. This allows for cost reduction while It allows for displaying information according to the product specifications.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light source 20 is spaced a certain distance apart on the back side of the outer substrate 31. They are arranged in this manner. According to this configuration, the impact is transmitted from the exterior substrate 31 to the light source 20. Since this can be suppressed, the light source 20, which is an electrical component, can be protected. When opening and closing the exterior panel 30 relative to the product body 40, or when accidentally dropping the product When this happens, it is possible that the exterior panel 30 will be subjected to an impact, and the light source will be affected by that impact. It can protect 20.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the light source 20 includes a light-emitting element 21 that emits light and a highly transparent part 31 A diffuser plate 22 is positioned opposite b, and is arranged around the light-emitting element 21 and the diffuser plate 22. It has a shielding plate 23 that is used to block the light emitted from the light-emitting element 21. This allows for effective irradiation of the highly translucent portion 31b of the exterior panel 30.

[0043] Furthermore, according to the manufacturing method of the display device 10 according to this embodiment, the above-mentioned functions and effects are achieved. A display device 10 can be provided.

[0044] In the above embodiment, the first coating layer 32 was applied to the entire surface of the highly translucent portion 31b. Later, a portion of the first coating layer 32 was removed. However, on the surface of the highly transparent portion 31b When applying the first paint layer 32, exclude the area corresponding to the letters "ABC" (a portion of the area). The first coating layer 32 may be applied in this manner. Also, when forming each coating layer, paint may be applied. In addition to the weaving method, alternative methods such as printing may also be used.

[0045] The embodiments described in detail above are not limited to the above-described configurations and do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. Modified forms that do not involve alteration are also acceptable. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0046] 10 Display device 20 light source 21 Light-emitting element 22 Diffuser 23 Shield plate 30 Exterior Panels 31 Exterior base material 31a Low light transmission area 31b Highly transparent part 32. First coating layer 33. Second coating layer 34. Third coating layer

Claims

[Claim 1] In a display device that displays information on the surface of the exterior panel of a product, An exterior comprising a highly light-transmitting section that transmits light and a less light-transmitting section that transmits less light than the highly light-transmitting section. Substrate and It is provided on the surface of the highly transparent portion, excluding a certain area, and is more light-transmitting than the highly transparent portion. The first coating layer has low light transmittance, A portion of the surface of the highly transparent part is provided in a part of the area, and the light transmittance is greater than that of the first coating layer. The second coating layer has a high excess rate, The exterior substrate, including the first coating layer and the second coating layer, is provided on the surface of the exterior substrate, and the second coating It has a third coating layer with lower light transmittance than the coating layer, The third coating layer is The thickness of the third coating layer in the first and second coating layers is formed to be thinner than the thickness of the third coating layer in the low light transmittance portion. Display device.

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